MG Walk 2015

It has already come and gone! The inaugural South Carolina MG Walk was a huge success, despite being unseasonably cold! We had 75 registered walkers, and most of them came out Saturday morning to walk with us. All together, those of us who campaigned for the walk raised a total of $14,245 (and we are still going strong - online fundraising remains open until the end of the year)!!! What a huge success! I met a few other SC MG patients and their friends and families as well. Here's what I said during the opening ceremony:

I am so excited to be here today and I am incredibly thankful that Myasthenia Gravis is finding its voice & finally being heard! As you heard earlier, MG affects tens of thousands of Americans yet so few have ever heard of it. It is time we rallied together to end MG. From the bottom of my heart, I thank each of you who are here today and all your donors who have made today and the entire MG Walk Campaign possible!                        
 
I’m here today not just as the local hero for the SC walk, but as one story of the thousands in this state. I’ve had generalized MG for 14 years now. While this is the snowflake disease - with all of us experiencing a variety of symptoms to different degrees - I am sure that my story feels familiar: uncertainty, waiting, multiple doctors, and many tests. The bittersweetness of finally having a name to put to your suffering - and the simultaneous heartache of knowing how drastically your life will change.

However, even with the hard days, the bad news, and the misunderstandings that happens with MG, we are resilient. We have not given up on the fight to find better treatments, competent doctors, and communities of support to share this journey with.

I am so glad to see every one of you here today: MG patients, friends, family, and caregivers, because in the shared collective sorrow of this disease there is an undeniable hope - it is tangible because we are gathered here today. We are seeking awareness and fighting for a cure by telling our stories and letting ourselves be known and heard. I am so proud to be a member of the MG community as we walk for a cure. 

I hope we’re all ready to start walking, so let’s start the countdown & kickoff this MG Walk! Are you ready? 10, 9, 8, 7…